A "world-first" study conducted for the National Transport Commission, which will inform new safety laws, has confirmed the ability of alertness monitoring technology to identify fatigue-related impairment in truck drivers.
In this comprehensive report, OHS Alert reviews all the major WHS and workers' comp developments from the first quarter of 2019, including the unprecedented jailing of company directors, the outcomes of the national WHS review, and significant legislative changes in every jurisdiction.
An employer has been permitted to recover more than half of a $320,000 settlement paid to the widow of a worker who died of skin cancer, in a Federal Court case examining shared liability provisions and the meaning of compensation.
The Federal Government has, in its 2019-20 budget, committed $36 million over four years to cracking down on sham contracting and establishing a labour-hire registration scheme with WHS-compliance tests.
The Australian Postal Corporation will be subject to targeted reviews for the next three years, after an investigation found that "individuals" within the organisation delayed processing workers' injury claims to obtain performance bonuses.
> Apply the hierarchy of controls to road traffic, new WHS guide says; > Major HVNL changes and Road Safety Office flagged; > Eight WHS Codes of Practice approved in SA; and > New WHS Minister appointed in NSW.
A court has rejected a major Defence contractor's claim that it could not have foreseen workers defying its systems of work and "common sense" at the time an employee was injured. The contractor was fined $160,000, taking the total penalties for the incident to $360,000.
The Federal Government has made new safety and compensation Regulations with at least six important updates, including one pertaining to potential licensees' WHS histories.
